West Lothian social landlord unveils board changes

Weslo, the social landlord based in West Lothian, has announced two boardroom appointments in a move aimed at strengthening its governance arrangements.

Kate Dewar has been appointed depute chair at Weslo

Edinburgh lawyer Kate Dewar, who joined the Weslo board in 2012, has been appointed depute chair following the retirement of former West Lothian Council chief executive John Spraggon after 12 years in the role.

In addition, Brenda Higgins has been elected to join the board. She was recently appointed chair of Weslo Initiatives, the Bathgate-based organisation’s private rented sector subsidiary.

Weslo chairman Peter Robson said: “Both women bring with them a wealth of industry experience and I am confident the new appointees will be great assets for the organisation. I look forward to working with Brenda and Kate to achieve Weslo’s objectives and strengthen the organisation going forward.”

Meanwhile, Rebecca Johnstone, operations director of Safe Deposits Scotland, has been appointed to the board of Weslo Initiatives.

In June, Weslo launched a £5 million upgrade for its properties across West Lothian, with 2,000 new bathrooms due to be fitted by Bothwell-based MCN over the next five years.